The Janky Promoters

I watched this movie hoping the negative reviews were making it sound worse than it really is, and I was right. The movie is actually a good movie, or pretty decent. I didn't expect this film to be like the Friday films, which I also am a big fan of. But instead, just watched it because I like Ice Cube and Mike Epps. Being a fan of both, this movie was just more clowning, good story, and funny entertainment. I don't know why people are saying its stereotypical. I mean, who cares.. its just fun.

Nice character development and overall well written. Its got its high and low moments, and an ending that is kinda predictable but I didn't think that took away anything from the film. If you like Ice Cube and Mike Epps, give it a watch.

I wasn't quite willing to pay to watch this movie, but I didn't mind watching it for free. I hadn't heard of it and the trailer wasn't very convincing. Well, after having watched it I'm glad I did. It was very funny, and that's coming from a cautious and skeptical viewer.

What I believe was Ice Cube and Mike Epps fourth collaboration ("Next Friday," "The Friday After Next," and "All About the Benjamins" were the three prior) was on par with the quality of the rest. The two of them played concert promoters Russell Redds (Cube) and Jellyroll (Epps) who were trying to make a big concert happen in the sleepy town of Modesto, CA. They somehow figured out how to get Jeezy to Modesto to perform. If you know anything about Modesto you know it is a cowpoke city that's about 75 miles south of Oakland. There's nothing there but heat and agriculture. Their claim to fame is that the movie "American Graffiti" was filmed there.

Russell and Jellyroll are in way over their heads with this endeavor and a blind man can see it. They don't have much money to work with and they are constantly devising plans to get money. It's one hilarious thing after another as they try to put Modesto on the map and keep Jeezy from bailing on them. Both Epps and Cube were funnier than I'd ever seen them together. Cube especially stepped his game up and broke from his traditional deadpan style. "The Janky Promoters" was not a Janky movie.

I like Ice Cube - hell, everyone likes Ice Cube. Crossing over from the rap / hip hop music genre, this likable hardcore rapper surprised everyone by stepping into a promising film career that begun in the 1990s with Boyz n the Hood. A bankable actor, writer, director, and producer, who's specialized in snappy hip movies and predictable family fare, Ice Cube continues to make us wonder just what he'll do next.

This is one film that probably read much better in the early stages of creation. The Janky Promoters is so bad that one feels sorry for the cast – themselves all pretty much MIScast, who had to suffer through Marcus Raboy's tame direction and Cube's weak screenplay. Janky might have done better with the star behind the camera and some solid actors sprinkled among the novice cast.

And someone should tell executive producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein to stop profiling when casting movies with an urban setting and an African-American story. The Janky Promoters is replete with one stereotype after another, from the big-booty slut to the one-dimensional rapper Bow Wow parody. Enough already! Thankfully, many of Ice Cube's better moments can be rented, especially my favorite, the Friday trilogy. And it's nice to know that we can still look forward to other Cube experiences, hopefully chosen more wisely.

Janky Promoters starts out strong by introducing very humorous and personality filled characters, but quickly falls apart when the real plot comes forth. I'm a fan of African American comedies, especially Ice Cube's Friday franchise. I was also praising the recent remake of Death at a Funeral that was done with nearly an entire black cast not too long ago. But after seeing Janky Promoters and All About the Benjamins, I'll be sure to fully read the plot of the next Ice Cube movie I catch on Television.

"Janky" is a slang word. It's an adjective that describes something dishonest, untrustworthy, or just plain bad. I eventually had to click "Add to Dictionary" because I was so sick of that red line that appears under "mispelled" or unrecognized words on ProBoards. What a predicament. Oh well, I never give a movie a poor review because of it's title. But I'll usually ridicule it for a bit. That sounds like more fun.

The plot is slim; two concert promoters Russell and Jellyroll (Cube and Epps) land themselves in hot water when they book Young Jeezy for a concert. The problem is the twenty grand they were supposed to give to him to perform, they spent on clothing and accessories. They must recover the money, or get the worst night of their lives.

There isn't a whole lot going on of interest. The biggest letdown is definitely the cast. Ice Cube and Mike Epps have worked in a number of movies together. Epps became the second wheel in Next Friday when Smokey (Chris Tucker) refused to come back for both sequels. In the middle of Friday, Epps/Cube did a so-so unrelated film together called All About the Benjamins. It was fair, but not something I could see myself watching again. Same with this.

My point is Janky Promoters has two comedic actors that deserve way better than this. I'm shocked Janky Promoters 2 is already in the works. To my knowledge, this film was released in theaters VERY limitedly. It got minimal viewing, and was released to DVD. This, apparently, is in it's unfinished state. Cube said that it was released without his knowledge while he was planning a wider release. Whether this is finished or not, I doubt a few minor changes would've benefited it.

About the sequel? Why would you make a sequel to a film that flopped majorly and did extremely poor? It only made a little over $9000 with a $10 million dollar budget. I guess Jeezy, Cube, and Epps have a respectable net worth that one flop can't hurt too much.

Janky Promoters doesn't do it's job of being a good comedy. It's a movie with small giggles, and poor acting. With names like Ice Cube and Mike Epps stamped on the DVD cover you'd think the film would be hilarious. But just like All About the Benjamins, it's so cute and harmless it's forgettable. What a shame. This could've been a very funny, three/three and a half star film. It's like a movie that doesn't take itself seriously. Sort of like...Last Resort? Starring: Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Young Jeezy, and Darris Love. Directed by: Marcus Raboy.

Janky Promoters is a 2009 comedy that centers around two shady promoters who get in over their heads when they book a rap superstar to perform at their show.

Starring Ice Cube and Mike Epps, Janky Promoters is a decent comedy that should please any fans of the Friday series. The main characters are obnoxious and silly but also quite funny as they run around town preparing for their big show while avoiding their responsibilities (like paying bills). Cube and Epps make a perfect comedy tag team and once again show their hilarious abilities on the big screen.

I thought this was a pretty good movie, and if you haven't seen it before, I would recommend checking it out.